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Friday, 24 November 2017

A character interview with Hattie Hastings @rararesources @audbyname #ghosts #books

…from the mind of a fictional character

by

Hattie Hastingsa character interview from Audrey Davis

The Haunting of Hattie Hastings

Today, I’m chatting to mother-of-one and recent widow,
Hattie, about her views on the world and current affairs in general. Welcome,
Hattie!

Thank you. I’m a
little nervous, to be honest. I try to keep up-to-date with things, but I get
upset when I watch the terrible atrocities being committed in the name of
politics or religion. Or young children dying from preventable diseases or
hunger. Gary – that’s my late husband – used to have to turn the TV over
sometimes when I burst into tears.

Do you read a daily newspaper? Either a hard-copy or online?

I do skim through the
Daily Mail online most days, but I get side tracked reading about celebrities
or the latest ‘must have’ beauty treatment. I like The Times occasionally, for
reviews and features mainly. Our local newspaper seems to be filled with
stabbings, robberies and pensioners getting beaten up for the sake of a few
pounds. It’s not like I live in a bad area, it just seems the world’s got
nastier overall. As for politics, I can’t believe the mess we’re in right now.
Brexit, Catalonia seeking independence, Trump as president – or, that muppet in
the White House, as Gary called him – we seem to be sinking deeper into chaos
and division.

If you could change one thing right now in the world, what
would it be?

Crikey, there’s so
much I’d love to change. Where to begin? I guess I’d stamp out racism,
religious intolerance and any kind of bigotry. We’re all people, whatever our
beliefs or skin colour. It breaks my heart when I see people killing each other
because they disagree or they think their race is superior.

You lost your husband, Gary, in a terrible accident. I am so
sorry. How have you managed to cope?

It’s not been easy,
but my friends and family have been wonderful. The biggest thing to come out of
it has been how it’s changed my attitude to death.

What do you mean, Hattie? How did you view it before, and
what has changed now?

Erm, it’s a bit
difficult to explain. Sorry. I don’t want to sound like a crazy person. I
always believed that death was the end, that once you were gone, that was it.
Now …

I’m intrigued! Have you visited a psychic, or something like
that? Do you have a sense that Gary is still watching over you?

(There is a long
pause, punctuated by some laughter and what sounds like a male voice).Listen, let’s just say
I’m much more open-minded these days. There are things in this world we can’t
always explain. Losing a loved one is so hard, but maybe it’s not always the
end of the road … sorry, can we change the subject?

Of course. You have a son, Johnny, who is twenty, I believe.
Do you think life is harder for young people now that when you were that age?

Oh, without a doubt.
On one hand they have the internet, social media, mobile phones and so on. So
much information at their fingertips, but is it all for the good? I read about
cyber bullying and people being persecuted online because of how they look. Everything’s
disposable, and if you don’t have the latest gadget or the trendiest clothes,
you can feel like a failure. Then there are all these students coming out of
uni knee-deep in debt, and lucky to earn minimum wage. Johnny – well, he
decided uni wasn’t for him – is writing a book on the subject. Although I
haven’t seen much evidence of it so far! He’ll probably still be living at home
when I collect my pension. That was a joke – I hope.

It’s been lovely to chat to you, Hattie. I thought I heard
someone with you. Is that Johnny? Has he been sitting with you during our
interview?(Another pause, and
the sound of something like a bell).No, he’s not here. It
was … someone else, but they’ve gone now. Thank you for having me.

Hattie Hastings is happily married, even if
husband Gary drives her up the wall at times. When tragedy strikes, she is left
alone and heartbroken, with only an assortment of family and friends to prop
her up.

Struggling to cope, she is left reeling when
her deceased other half returns, popping up at the most inappropriate times.

Hattie can't convince anyone that Gary has
returned. Not even best friend Cat – now free from the cruel and controlling
Stewart – will believe her.

Why has Gary returned? And what will Cat do
when her slimy ex-husband tries to worm his way back into her affections?

The Haunting of Hattie Hastings will make you
laugh, cry and count down until Part Two …

About Audrey Davis

Audrey Davis

Scottish-born
Audrey studied journalism in Edinburgh more decades ago than she cares to
admit. She cut her writing teeth on provincial newspapers (using a typewriter)
and a London-based video magazine (another sign of her advanced years).

Engagement to her
now-husband Bill took them to Singapore, Australia and Buckinghamshire,
England, before they settled in Switzerland in 2002. Along the way they had two
boys, both all grown-up and living in the UK.

Her journey to
becoming a published author began with an online Writing Fiction course. It
took well over a year but, in June 2017, Audrey published her debut romantic
comedy novel, A Clean Sweep. It was quickly followed by a shorter and darker
prequel, A Clean Break.

The idea for The
Haunting of Hattie Hastings came from nowhere, just a random title that popped
into her head and from there grew into Part One of a trilogy. It comes under
the same genre, but has some poignant scenes and – hopefully – lots of laughs!
Audrey admits to being a worrier, and has always used humour as a defence
mechanism, as her friends will attest.

When Audrey isn’t
writing, she loves shows like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and
Strictly Come Dancing (a strange mix, she knows). Her interests include cooking
(and eating pretty much anything apart from oysters), travelling and going to
the gym. OK, the last one is mainly to compensate for her passion for food!

Audrey would
describe herself as a ‘pantser’ rather than a ‘planner’, preferring to run
where a story takes her and scribble copious notes along the way. She’d love to
write a page-turning thriller, but fears her natural tendency to see the comic
side of life might be an obstacle.